NVIDIA Driver 616.56 Reportedly Causes Flickering on 8 Bit Monitors, With a 10 Bit Workaround Available

NVIDIA’s latest Game Ready Driver 616.56 is reportedly causing display flickering on some monitors running in 8 bit color mode.

Multiple people have reported the same behavior after installing the driver, and testing suggests the issue is closely tied to 8 bit output. Switching the display to 10 bit color has reportedly stopped the flickering in many cases. NVIDIA has acknowledged the problem and is testing a fix.

The Problem Appears to Affect 8 Bit Color Mode

Reports indicate that monitors running at 8 bit color depth are the main systems affected by the flickering issue.

The problem does not appear to happen consistently once the display is switched to 10 bit mode. That makes color depth the most important factor identified so far.

Detail	Information
Driver	NVIDIA Game Ready Driver 616.56
Main issue	Display flickering
Most affected mode	8 bit color
Reported workaround	Switch to 10 bit
NVIDIA response	Fix is being tested
Alternative workaround	Roll back to previous driver
Windows versions mentioned	Windows 10 and Windows 11

The issue has reportedly been reproduced across multiple monitors, with other affected people confirming similar behavior.

That does not mean every 8 bit display will experience the problem, but the pattern is consistent enough that NVIDIA is now investigating it.

Switching to 10 Bit Can Stop the Flickering

If your monitor supports 10 bit output, changing the color depth may provide an immediate workaround.

The setting can be changed through the NVIDIA App under the System and Monitors section. After applying the change, Windows should show 10 bit color depth in Advanced Display Settings if the setting was accepted correctly.

Some monitors may not support 10 bit at their current refresh rate.

In that situation, lowering the refresh rate could potentially make 10 bit output available, but the report notes that this is not guaranteed to work.

You can also try enabling Windows ACM, which has reportedly stopped the flickering in some testing.

Rolling Back the Driver Is Another Option

If your monitor does not support 10 bit output, or if changing the color depth does not solve the issue, rolling back to the previous NVIDIA Game Ready Driver may be the safer temporary option.

The older driver reportedly does not suffer from the same flickering problem.

Once NVIDIA releases a hotfix or updated driver, you can then move back to the latest version.

This may be especially useful for people using monitors that are limited to 8 bit color or cannot run 10 bit at their preferred refresh rate.

NVIDIA Is Already Working on a Fix

NVIDIA has confirmed that the problem exists and says it is currently testing a solution.

That means a new Game Ready Driver or smaller hotfix could arrive to address the issue, although no release date has been announced yet.

For now, the available workarounds are relatively straightforward: switch from 8 bit to 10 bit if your monitor supports it, try Windows ACM, reduce the refresh rate if necessary, or roll back to the previous driver.

Until NVIDIA publishes a permanent fix, people using 8 bit displays may want to avoid Driver 616.56 if they are already seeing flickering.